Prologue — The Night the Moon Changed Everything
The forest breathed.
Elara had always believed forests were alive—but tonight, it felt as though it watched her.
Moonlight spilled through the towering pines, silver and heavy, dusting the earth in a glow that made shadows stretch unnaturally long. Each step she took crunched softly over fallen leaves, the sound far too loud in the unnatural quiet.
She shouldn’t be here.
The warning signs had been clear—MOONFALL TERRITORY. NO TRESPASSING.
Everyone in her town knew the stories. People who crossed the boundary after sunset were never quite the same.
Some never returned at all.
Her pulse thudded as unease curled in her stomach. The air felt thick, charged—like the moment before lightning split the sky.
Then she smelled it.
Warm earth. Pine. Something darker. Male. Dangerous.
A growl rolled through the trees.
Low. Controlled. Deadly.
Elara spun.
Two golden eyes ignited in the darkness.
The moon brightened—almost eagerly.
And somewhere deep within her chest, something ancient answered.
